Lance Briggs prepared to sit out

[CrazyCowboy]

I'd call his bluff.

My thoughts exactly

 

[Clove]

The only way I would trade for him, is if Dallas was going to pick a LB in the 1st round anyways (might as well trade your pick for someone who's a proven stud than someone you hope will be)

 

[Jarv]

What he will probably do, and what most franchise players do, is hold out until the first game. Technically he has until then to sign the tender.

The owners deserve what they get on this, Jerry has rarely had to use the franchise tag (Flozell was the only one that I remember). If you like a guy that much, get him signed before he becomes a free agent. It's cheaper that way anyway.

Exactly..He cannot risk injury prior to the season.

Actually the franchise tag is almost like a vacation for the players...Skip the MC's, TC and pre-season. Show up the week before your 1st game and you are guraenteed your salary all year after the 1st game starts and you have signed the tender.

The franchise tag does not come free for the team and that is one of the consequences.

 

[THUMPER]

The only way I would trade for him, is if Dallas was going to pick a LB in the 1st round anyways (might as well trade your pick for someone who's a proven stud than someone you hope will be)

I agree. I am reluctant to spend yet another 1st round pick on a front-7 player unless it is a NT. We have talent at LB already and don't really need to upgrade the position with a high pick at this time.

Briggs is an excellent player, but as Fuzzy pointed out, he is not a good fit at OLB in the 3-4. That would also be a lot of money to tie up in the LB position with Ellis, Ware, Carpenter, and James already making significant salaries.

LB is not a position of need IMO, so no, I wouldn't make that trade.

 

[Rack]

Trade to the Bears.

Our 2007 1st rounder pick for Lance Briggs.

No way.


We've got LBs. Find me a RB at the same talent lvl as Briggs and we'll talk.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Briggs was the number one LB so he would have got paid around $20 million guaranteed money.

#1 at what? You mean the top LB in free agency? Nah, I think Adalius Thomas was.

 

[JPostSam]

I sorta feel bad for players when they get slapped with the franchise tag, because it hinders them for making the type of guaranteed money they deserve, yet at the same time it's hard to feel bad for a guy who's making 7 million dollars a year.

IMO as long as a team doesn't hit a player with the franchise tag in continous fashion then the player should just shut up a play, because if Briggs goes out and has another ProBowl year with the cap rising he'll make even more next year.

um... what's wrong with continuously being paid the average of the top five players at your position?

i'd take that every year, for as many years as possible.

and actually, it pays more in the long run that those bloated contracts, because players often get cut or have their contracts redone toward the end; they rarely see all the money in the original contract.

so basically, this guy is turning down a whole lot of money to play alongside a great player and, apparently, a great teammate (in urlacher), on a super bowl-caliber defense. not a smart decision pr-wise, and not a smart decision financially, either.

 

[4lifecowboy]

um... what's wrong with continuously being paid the average of the top five players at your position?

i'd take that every year, for as many years as possible.

and actually, it pays more in the long run that those bloated contracts, because players often get cut or have their contracts redone toward the end; they rarely see all the money in the original contract.

so basically, this guy is turning down a whole lot of money to play alongside a great player and, apparently, a great teammate (in urlacher), on a super bowl-caliber defense. not a smart decision pr-wise, and not a smart decision financially, either.

You are not including the risk factor, if he was to get hurt that 7mil would be all he would get, so actually he is risking losing 13mil if he was injure his self under that 1 yr. contract. He has exceeded his pay bracket his first two seasons without complaint and now in his opinion (and mine as well) Chicago should be ready to show some sort of commitment to him for that. Personally I think this is way more hurtful for Chicago then it is for him, with the way they handled the Lovie deal and now this, it going to be hard to attract FA in the future.

 

[TNCowboy]

He knows that if it was not for the franchise tag that he would be able to negotiate a lot more money that that and his freedom to choose what he wants to do is also taken from him. Id be pissed to.

You wouldnlt be pissed that someone was making you get about 1/3 of the money that you would be getting otherwise?

The players agreed to the franchise tag. The Bears are simply using the system that the players agreed to. They aren't doing anything wrong. IMO, Briggs is a good player, but not one worth the $20M guaranteed you claim he could get. The Bears offered him a 7 yr $43M deal, and Briggs turned it down. It didn't have enough up front, so Briggs balked. I don't blame him for wanting more, but I don't see how anyone can blame the Bears for taking advantage of the system once he turned it down.

And if Briggs is in a position where he's already talking about needing a loan to live for a year, then I doubt that he's serious about sitting out. He'll be back by the start of the season to collect his $.

 

[Da Hammer]

#1 at what? You mean the top LB in free agency? Nah, I think Adalius Thomas was.

if you factor in age which you have to then i do think Briggs would have been the top LB. Thomas isnt old old but i think he's 30 which is when most players begin to decline a little bit. Briggs i believe is 27 or 28.

 

[Kangaroo]

What he will probably do, and what most franchise players do, is hold out until the first game. Technically he has until then to sign the tender.

The owners deserve what they get on this, Jerry has rarely had to use the franchise tag (Flozell was the only one that I remember). If you like a guy that much, get him signed before he becomes a free agent. It's cheaper that way anyway.

The funny thing is the guys that hold out generally have bad years or get hurt so their stock goes down the next year.

Plus he will not hold out past 4 games because he can not if he holds out longer than that he does not get a year service which cost him in the veterans benefits

 

[carphalen5150]

I know Briggs wants some guaranteed money, but if he really thinks about it he is at least getting 7.2 guaranteed. Then next year he hits the market as a UFA or he gets tagged again, which would be more than what he gets this year.